Vacuum carpet-cleaner.



D. A. MINNIGH, DECD. w. A. 0001:, ADMINISTRATOR.

VACUUM CARPET CLEANER.

APPLIOATION FILED OUT. 27, 1910.

= Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

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Wit meme o aHozum D. A. MINNIGH, DECD.

w. A. BOOK, ADMINISTRATOR.

VACUUM CARPET CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED 001', 27, 1910.

1,035,460, Patented Aug. 13,1912.

2 sgnms-sunm 2 anemia UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID A. MINNI'GHZ, ,0!" YORK, PENNSYLVANIA; WAITER A. COOK ADMINISTRATOR 0F SAID MINNIGH, DNEASE'D.

VACUUM CARPET-CLEANER.

Patented Aug. 13, 1 912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID A. MINNICH, a citizen of the United States, residing at York, in the county of Yorkand State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and use-.

ful Vacuum Carpet-Cleaner, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in that class of devices known as vacuum cleaners and utilized for cleaning carpets,,

The invent-ion also has for its object the A provision of an apparatus which may be operated easily .and readily by a single person without the provision of complicated and expensive motors.

A further object of the invention is to.

provide a simple means for supporting the device when it is at work and for facilitating its movement, from point to point.

All these objects, and such other minor objects as will hereinafter incidentally ap pear, are attained in the use of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and the invention consists in ,certain novel features of the same which will be hereinafter first fully described and then more particularly pointed gut in the appended claims.

In the drawings,Figure1 is a side elevation of'my improved apparatus showing the same arranged for use in cleaning a carpet. Fig.2 is a' plan view partly in section of the improved apparatus. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view on a larger scale of one of the pistons. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional elevation showing the cylinder and one of the pistons with the several piston rods. 'Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of one of the crank disks. Fig. 5 is an enlarged front elevation of the driving cranks. Fig. 7 is a detail plan view 0 t' e guide forthe several connecting rodsu. ig. 8 is an enlarged detail section on the\line 88 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail section of one:

of the rollers and the parts immediately adjacent thereto. Fig. 10 isa sectionalele'vation of one of the connecting rods.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a cylinder 1,' to the sldes of which I secure bars 2 constituting a supporting frame and extending upward beyond the upper end of the cylinder. The lower end of the cylinder is provided with a small nipple 3 which is normally closed by any suitable cap or plug and is intended to facilitate the cleaning of the cylinder after the same has been used for some time. The cylinder is also provided in its lower end at its center with a small inlet tube 4 upon the end of which is removably fitted a nozzle 5 having a central opening 6 for the admission of air and dust and provided with curved lips 7 at opposite sides of the' said opening whereby the nozzle may move easily over the carpet or other art-icle to be cleaned without taking into the same and injuring the fabric. The nozzle is so formed as to permit the cylinder to .lie normally at an angle to the floor, as

shown clearly in Fig. 1, and in order to support the cylinder in this position I provide the supporting arms8 which are pivoted at their upper ends to the side bars 2 and are equipped at their lower ends with rollers. on wheels 9. One of these arms 8 is provided at each side of the cylinder, and a sleeve 10 is inserted through the lower ends of both arms so as to form jour nals for the rollers, as shown clearly in Fig. 9, while through the said sleeve a rod 11 is inserted, securing nuts 12 being fitted turned home against washers 13 whereby the'rollers will be secured upon the ends of the sleeve adjacent the lower; ends of the supporting arms, as will be readily understood. The sleeve thus constitutes a spacing device by which the washers, which retain the rollers in place, will be prevented from bearing frictiona-lly against the rollers to an excessive degree. In order that the roll- .on the threaded ends of the said rod and ers may be maintained in the proper posi- 7 tion to hold the cylinder at the desired inclination, stop pins 14 are provided in rear of the supporting arms 8 and against which the said arms are adapted to impinge so as to be limited in their rearward movement, as shown in Fig: 1. These stop pins project from bearings or-'plates 15 which are rigidly secured to the side bars 2, and

the supporting arms are drawn normally toward the stop pins by springs 16 secured to the supporting arms 8' and to the side arms 2 above the pivotal connection of.the

supporting arms, as shown. Should it be desired to clean a curtain or other draperies when removing the same from their supports, the nozzle 5 is removed and a hose fitted upon the inlet tube 4, and the hose obliged to support the same.

The side bars 2 are secured at their upper ends to hearing blocks 17 adapted to receive the journals 18 of the driving shaft. Opposite the ends of the side bars the bearing blocks 17 are connected by a stirrup or U- shaped handle 19 by which the movement of .the device over the floor may be'directed and by which it may be held steady when used for cleaning curtains or similar articles. The driving shaft is equipped with an opcrating handle 20, and, between its journals 18,is composed of a plurality of crank disks 21. It will be observed that four of these crank disks are employed and that the outer disks are each provided with central bosses constituting the journals 18. The disks are also provided at proper points .aroundtheir peripheries with ears or lugs 22 in which the wrist pins 23 are secured. My invention contemplates the use of threepistons within the cylinder, and a separate piston rod and connecting rod or pitman for each of the pistons, all of which are operated from this single set of crank disks. The wrist pins 23, therefore, are spaced at equal distances apart around the peripheries, of the disks, and each wrist pin has its opposite ends secured in lugs or ears 22 in two adjacent disks, the space between the said disks being otherwise uninterrupted. It will thus be readily understood, upon reference to Figs. 5 and 6, that the. outer disks each have a central boss and a peripheral lug, and that the said lugs are out of alinement,,while the intermediate disks have no central bosses and are each provided with two peripheral lugs, one of said lugs being in alinementwith one'of the lugs on the other inter- -mediate disk, and the other of said lugs being in alinement with the lug on the ad acen t outer disk. A The connecting rods 24 are composed of tubular central portions, in

.the ends of which are brazed studs 25, the

stud in the lower end of the tube being provided with'an enlarged eye'26 adapted to as will be readily understood. The pivot pins27 are formed integrally with collars 30 or fitted within a fork 31. The fork 31 is formed or secured upon the upper end of a piston rod 32 which extendsto and is secured firmly in the lowest piston 33 within the cylinder. Upon this piston rod 32, l fit a sleeve 34 which constitutes the piston rod for the intermediate piston 35 within the cylinder, a collar 30 with a lateral pivot pin 27 being secured rigidly to the upper end of thesaid sleeve, as clearly shown. One of the connecting rods extends from one of the side I wrist pins 23 to this sleeve or piston rod 34 so that the said sleeve will be actuated from the driving shaft simultaneously with the. piston rod 32. Around the piston rod or sleeve 34 is fitted a second sleeve 36 which extends to and carries thfe uppermost piston 37 within the cylinder. This sleeve or piston rod 36 is provided with a collar 30 and pivot pin 27 projecting in a direction opposite to that assumed by the pin 27 of the sleeve 34, and a connecting rod extends from this pivot pin to the remaining wrist pin 23, as shown in Fig. 1. A packing box 38 is provided around the sleeve'36 so as to prevent the escape of dust-laden air through the top 39 of the cylinder, and the several connecting rods pass through a guide 40 whereby they will be held to their work and prevented from interfering. This guide consists of an open frame 41 secured rigidly to the side bars 2 and extending between the same and a beam or bar 42 secured to and extending between the front and rear sides of the said frame and having a central opening 43 through which. the piston rod 32 plays. -The sleeves 34 and 36 are both shorter than the piston rod 32 and are of unequal length, although the upper ends of both are always below the. guide 40, while the upper end of the piston rod 32 is always above the said guide. The connecting rods extending from the driving cranks to the sleeves 34 andv36 pass through the guide at opposite sides of the bar 42 therein, as will be readily understood on reference to Fig. 2.

The several pistons are similar in construction and each consists of a pair of plates 44 and 45 between the outer edges of which-a cup packing 46 of leather or other suitable material is secured, the said packing fitting closely against the cylinder so as 'to j gether. The plates are secured to the piston rod through a spider 48 rigidly secured upon the upper plate 45, and between the arms of the spider I provide upwardly opening flap valves 49 adapted to cover openings 50 in the pistons, as shown in Figs.

3 and. 4, and to open on the down stroke of v the piston so as to permit the passage of the dust-laden air through the cylinder, from which it will escape through a discharge tube 51 which may be connected in any desired manner with a dust bag or similar receptacle. The cover 39 it fitted tightly on the upper end of the cylinder and the outlet 51 is formed in this cover, while the cylinder is reinforced, adjacent the cover, by a band 52 to which the side bars 2fmay be riveted or otherwise secured.

The operation of my device will be readily understood. The nozzle having been fitted on the inlet tube 4 and the supporting arms 8 swung upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 1, the device is moved over the floor or carpet, being guided in its movements through the handle 19 by one hand of the operator, while the crank shaftv is rapidly rotated-through the crank 20 by the other hand of 'the operator. The several connecting rods, and the piston rods'attached thereto will be thereby rapidly andsimultaneously reciprocated so that the several pistons within the cylinder will be actuated, and as the wrist pins, through which motion is imparted to the pistons, are spaced at equal distances around the crank disks, a continuous suction will be created through the cylinder so that the cleaning process Will be rapidly accomplished. I rises in the cylinder, the valves 49 will lie flat against the same so as to prevent passage through the openings 50 and, consequently,

a'partial vacuum will be formed below the piston, creating a suction through the carpet or other article to be cleaned which will draw the dust and other particles of dirt from the carpet through the nozzle 5 and into the cylinder. On the down stroke of the piston, the valves will rise so as to uncover the openings in the piston under the pressure created within the piston, so that the dustladen air will rush through the cylinder and escape therefrom through the outlet 51. It

will be understood, of course, that this outlet' 51 may be connected through any form of conduit with any convenient form of dust bag or other receptacle.

My device is exceedingly simple in its construction and compact in its arrangement so that it may be operated easily by a single person, or when it is desired to clean wall paper, curtains or drapery, a' second person may be employed to guide the nozzle and hose over .the surface to be cleaned, while the main operator drives the crank shaft. The supporting arms pivoted to the sides of the cylindervand equipped-with rollers facilitate the movement of the apparatus over. a floor, and at the same time will furnish a steady support for the device when curtains or similar articles are being cleaned,

inasmuch as when the supporting arms are As the piston.

ing springs 16 will then pass directly across the pivots of the said arms and hold them against lateral 'movement. The side bars form a light and strong supporting frame for the device and also serve to protect the pistonrods and the pitman or connecting rods from injury by chance blows, While the ends of the connecting rods being disposed between parallel drank disks will be guided by the said disks so that bending of the rods will be avoided and a light tubular construc-' tion made practical.

While I have described the principle of operation of the invention, together With the apparatus which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is e 1. A portable pneumatic pumping device comprising a cylinder having inlet and outlet. openings at opposite ends, a plurality of pistons within the cylinder, concentric piston rods for the pistons extending through that end of the cylinder-remote from the intake end, bars secured to opposite sides of the cylinder and extending beyond the end through which the piston rods extend, bearing blocks receiving the ends of the bars remote from the cylinder, a stirrup or U- shaped handle member connected at the ends to the bearing blocks, a drive shaft extending through the bearing blocks and having crank members between the bearing blocks,

pitmen extending from the crank members to the respective piston rods, an open uide frame secured to the bars between the earing blocks and the cylinder .and traversed by the piston rods, and supporting Wheels or rollers connected to the bars intermediate 0 the cylinder.

2. A portable pneumatic pumping device comprising a cylinder, a frame extending beyond one head of the cylinderand terminating in a handle portion, a crank shaft carried by the frame between the handle portion and the cylinder, a plurality of pistons within the cylinder, driving connections between the crank shaft and the pistons, supporting wheels or rollers connected to the frame and positioned to normally support the cylinder at an incline to the surface over which the cylinder is moved, an intake member for the cylinder of a length to reach the surface over which the device is moved when the said device is at an incline, and constraining means for the supporting wheels or rollers tending to hold them in operative relation to the cyllnder and against which constraining means the supporting wheels or rollers are, movable 1nto non-sustaining relation to the cylinder.

3. The combination witha pump provided at their lower ends with rollers, stops for with a cylinder, of supporting arms pivotally attached. to the sides of the cylinder, stops arranged on the sides of the" cylinder above the supporting arms, and. springs secured to the supporting arms and to the cylinder above the pivots of the supporting arms. 4

4. The combination with a pump provided with a cylinder, of supporting arms pivotally connected to the cylinder and provided limiting the swinging movement of the arms,

and springs applied to the arms for drawing them toward the stops.

. In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aiiixed my signature in thepresence of two witnesses.

DAVID A. MINNIGH. Witnesses:

JOHN F. PFLIEGER, JAMES K. MoILvAm. 

